Inspired by the past, longing for the future. — China Daily

No word can describe such a magnificant event. Although not all chapters are equally astonishing, overall, this is an unprecedented and unmatchable live performance. Married with Chinese traditional cultures, modern lighting and electronic techniques and Yimou Zhang‘s signature bold usage of colors, the opening ceremony shows to the world a confident, ambitious and prosperous China. To me the most memoriable performance are the counting down by the lighting drums; the poping boxes replacing the great wall with cherry blossom, the colorful and inspiring pigeon and the painting scroll as the centerpiece through the show.

To Chinese people, this is a chance to demostrate the pride not only because of our five-thousand-year of recorded history, but the economic advance in recent 30 years. It is also an emotional moment. I almost broke into tears while watching ninty thousand audiences counting down together with 2008 drummers. What a night!

What is more important is that China decided to put hamony and humanity, instead of ideology, as the main theme throughout the show. The posters of thousands smiling faces, the earth village and the nine-year-old boy who entered the stadium with China’s most famous athlete, Yao Ming, these designs had never been seen in previous ceremonies in China. Although both are ideals, I think maybe Hamony and Peace (和) is a even better solution than Love (爱) to the crisis in this world. (Hamony is not exactly same as Peace in Chinese culture. It is more about the relationship between human beings and the nature. But I think Yimou Zhang meant to say more than that.) Love is a concept, Hamony is a methodology and practice. If people cannot love each other, at least they can make peace.

More and bigger pictures can be found here.